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Quoting Half-Pesukim

Is it mutar to qoute half of a pasuk or to paraphrase a pasuk in a speech? Thank You

Answer:

Yes, it is permitted to quote or paraphrase a pasuk.

Sources:

We find in countless places in Chazal that half-pesukim are quoted, and therefore it is clear that there is no prohibition on quoting half a pasuk (though the basic prohibition is mentioned by the Magen Avraham 51:9).

Some explain that the main prohibition applies only for readings in public (though see Berachos 4).

A further possibility is that the prohibition only applies in Torah learning (Zecher Yehosef no. 38), but not in regular speech or quotation.

For a detailed analysis see Tzitz Eliezer 19:7.

It is also possible that the prohibition applies specifically to causing the verse to be deformed by skipping words – citing the beginning and the end without the middle.

Best wishes.

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2 Comments

  1. Is one allowed to quote only part of a Passuk which contains G’d’s name?

    1. The same general principle applies even to pesukim with the Name of Hashem.

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